SUBSEA NOISE MITIGATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130056270A1
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Ward, John Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,138,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/5
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0007 for underwater installations E21B41/005, E21B41/04, E21B41/06, E21B41/08, E21B41/10 take precedence

Abstract

A system and method of exploiting an offshore oil and gas reservoir, comprising installing a drilling structure in a body of water; drilling a plurality of wells from the drilling structure; and providing a plurality of buoyant, flexible structures adjacent to the well.

Claims

1. An offshore system in a body of water, comprising:

a drilling structure at a surface of the body of water;

a drill bit in a well beneath a bottom of the body of water;

an environmentally sensitive area offset a distance from the well; and

a plurality of buoyant, flexible structures arrayed between the well and the environmentally sensitive area.

2. The offshore system of claim 1, wherein the drilling structure is floating in the body of water.

3. The floating offshore system of claim 1, wherein the buoyant, flexible structures are filled with a gas.

4. The floating offshore system of claim 1, wherein the buoyant, flexible structures are filled with air.

5. The floating offshore system of claim 1, further comprising at least one anchor block at the bottom of the body of water, wherein at least one of the buoyant, flexible structures are attached to the anchor block.

6. The floating offshore system of claim 5, wherein the drilling structure comprises a source of gas to fill the buoyant, flexible structures.

7. The floating offshore system of claim 1, wherein the buoyant, flexible structures are filled with air, and wherein the buoyant, flexible structures comprising least one opening at a top of the structure to allow a portion of the air to escape.

8. The floating offshore system of claim 1, wherein the buoyant, flexible structures completely surround the well.

9. The floating offshore system of claim 1, further comprising at least two lines of buoyant, flexible structures, wherein the lines are offset from one another.

10. The floating offshore system of claim 1, wherein the buoyant, flexible structures are filled with air, wherein the drilling structure comprises a source of air connected to the buoyant, flexible structures.

11. A method of exploiting an offshore oil and gas reservoir, comprising:

installing a drilling structure in a body of water;

drilling a plurality of wells from the drilling structure; and

providing a plurality of buoyant, flexible structures adjacent to the well.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising inflating the buoyant, flexible structures with air.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising inflating the buoyant, flexible structures with air by pumping air from the drilling structure.